Fan-Tastic
When
Maurice Benard (Sonny) was named “Favorite Actor” by the members of the Official GH Fan Club, he dedicated the honor to Producer Carol Scott, who succumbed to cancer at age 56 in June. “There are a few things I have to say, and it’s not going to be easy for me to say,” an emotional Benard told the fans. “First of all, I want to say it’s an honor to work with the talent that’s on this show. I want to say a few things about Carol Scott. For anybody who doesn’t know who Carol Scott is … She was a producer on GENERAL HOSPITAL for many years. She was my friend, and I loved her very much. I remember her great smile, her great spirit of living. I remember the way she would give notes. She’d come out and she’d say, ‘Sweetie….’ and I’d say, ‘Don’t give me a note, Carol.’ ‘You’ve got to love her more [she’d respond]’ and I’d say, ‘I’m just not feeling it.’ And she’d say, ‘Think of [wife] Paula.’ When someone dies, it puts things in perspective. Things you think are so important aren’t that important. You hug your kids a little more…. I want to dedicate making GENERAL HOSPITAL better than it’s ever been for my friend, Carol, because I know that’s exactly what she would have wanted me and everybody who knew her to do. Thank you.”
Corbin Bernsen (Durant) took the opportunity to publicly thank Rick Hearst (Ric), who has the lead role in Bernsen’s upcoming directorial debut, Carpool Guy. “This is the first of many, many, many moments, from the bottom of my heart, to tell you how honored I was to have you in the film,” he praised. “What until you see his performance. It’ll knock your socks off.”
Steve Burton (Jason) told fans that even though GH is launching a dancing storyline for Kelly Monaco (Sam), don’t expect to see Jason trade in his boots for tap shoes. “Not if I can help it,” he laughed. “There will be no dancing around me. Ever. It’s great she won. I said, ‘Make as much money as you can off this thing, but don’t dance anywhere near me.’ I will go to my grave before that happens.”
Leslie Charleson (Monica), who joined the show in 1977, three months before Stuart Damon (Alan), seemed genuinely stunned when I mentioned that she’s the longest-running contract player, meaning she’s the GH matriarch. “I think you’re right,” she marveled. “I’m terrified of this! ‘Come back, Anna Lee [ex-Lila]. Please!’ I can’t believe it. If you had told me 28 years ago that this was going to happen, I would have laughed in your face. ‘No way, no how!’ But, I guess I am.”
Tyler Christopher (Nikolas) spoke to fans about the pros and cons of playing dual roles as Nikolas and Connor, sharing, “The hardest part is, as if it’s not difficult enough to try and absorb copious amounts of dialogue in a short amount of time, times that by two…. The coolest part was being be able to manipulate the scene any way I wanted to. It’s weird, but as an actor, it’s a cool tool to play opposite yourself.”
Scott Clifton (Dillon) shared that he still gets teased about the storyline where his character dressed in drag to impress a record producer. “Yes,” he sighed. “The answer is yes. I don’t think I’m ever going to live that down. But a microscopic part of me doesn’t want to live that down because any time I get into an argument with a girl now and she says, ‘You don’t know what it’s like to wear these high heels,’ I can say, ‘Yes, I do!'”
Daytime newcomer Amy Grabow (ex-Rachel) commented on her character’s demise by stating, “I would have liked to have died on camera. [Not doing so] was kind of anti-climactic. I wish I would have gotten a better death, one of those great, shocking soapy deaths. But I have to admit, working on a soap was great fun.”
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